Chapter 22 – Jesus please help me… I’m in a quandary.
As I observe what is going on in our country right now, I must admit that I find myself in an unusual predicament. I’m watching as people are being interviewed by the US Senate. These are nominees for very important positions in the President Elect’s new administration. Each Senator will ultimately determine whether they will vote for or against the confirmation of the candidates. I believe we can all agree that some, if not all, of these decisions could quite possibly shape the direction of the United States for the upcoming four years and beyond.
Okay… here is my dilemma: As a Christian I would personally like to see people of good character fill each of these positions. However, the Bible contains numerous accounts where God used very imperfect people to accomplish His will.
As a Christian myself, I plan to seek God for direction and discernment for those in charge, as to which one of the candidates is their choice. I’m not asking: which ones are the best Christian people running for office? Not at all! My goal and desire is to pray that the Senators will support the individuals that God wishes to use to accomplish His desired results. Throughout history that has most often NOT been the person we would view as the best “squeaky clean” Christian! Let’s take a look at a few actual situations where God’s choice would have us scratching our heads and mumbling at God saying… “You can’t be serious!”
- Abraham: the father of the Jewish race, was a liar. (Genesis 20:1-16)
– He lied to Abimelech saying that his wife, Sarah, was his sister to keep Abimelech from killing him. - Jacob: name changed to Israel, the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, was a cheater and a liar. (Genesis chapter 27)
– He cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright and lied to his father Isaac about it. - Moses: was used by God to lead the Hebrew’s out of Egyptian bondage, was a murderer. (Exodus chapter 2)
– He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people, so he killed the Egyptian. - David, the great king, called a man after God’s own heart, was an adulterer and murderer. (2 Samuel chapter 11)
– He committed adultery with Bathsheba, got her pregnant, and had her husband Uriah killed to cover it up. - Simon: name changed to Peter, became a great evangelist and church leader. He denied Jesus. (Luke 22:54-62)
– As Jesus was being interrogated, Peter denied three times that he even knew Jesus. - Saul: name changed to Paul, wrote much of the New Testament. He was a killer and Jesus hater. (Acts 22:1-21)
– He was persecuting the church of Jesus Christ, sending them to prison and having them killed. - Jesus Himself: the Sinless Son of Almighty God!
– He was falsely accused by the news media of His day of being an enemy of the state. (John chapter 18)
It’s clearly obvious from the list of Christian “heroes of the faith” above, that Almighty God often times used people to do mighty exploits for His glory that we would have disqualified. Do we believe that the possibility still exists today? That is why I said, “My goal and desire is to pray that the Senators will support the individuals that God wants to use to accomplish His desired results.”
Proverbs 16:1-2 (MSG)
1 Mortals make elaborate plans, but GOD has the last word. Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; GOD probes for what is good.
At this point, I honestly am not sure what God’s will is, and who He wants to use to accomplish it. So… what should I do? Approach God with thanksgiving and ask Him to guide the Senators as they are seeking answers. Above all else… ask Him for the presence, strength, and guidance of the Holy Spirit! We could all be praying a prayer such as this:
Lord, I praise and thank you for always caring and providing for this country. Hear my prayer as I ask the Holy Spirit to guide the United States Senators. Amen.